


Raindrops and References

by inkabelle_designs



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Henry - Freeform, Inky Eyes Golden Heart AU, Other, Sammy Lawrence - Freeform, Star-going-supernova, bendy - Freeform, bendy and the ink machine - Freeform, genesis the intern - Freeform, henry ross - Freeform, joey drew - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 04:16:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13803222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkabelle_designs/pseuds/inkabelle_designs
Summary: NOTE: This is based off the Inky Eyes Golden Heart AU by Star-Going-Supernova. This is NOT canon to her AU, this is merely me playing around with it. A link to her page is here so you can read the actual AU, it's really good. http://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Going_Supernova/pseuds/Star_Going_SupernovaWith a week and a half of rainy days, the demon in disguise known as Henry isn't bogged down in the slightest by the gloomy gray skies. However, when he notices some odd behaviors from one of his animation interns due to the weather, he finds himself delving into something he hadn't expected, and in the process, finding an unlikely friend.





	Raindrops and References

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Star-Going-Supernova](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Star-Going-Supernova).
  * Inspired by [Dreams Come True](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12554700) by [Star_Going_Supernova](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Going_Supernova/pseuds/Star_Going_Supernova). 



 

    For many creatives, rain can be a force that bogs them down, but for Henry, this was not the case. The humble demon was fascinated by many of the smaller things that made Earth so unique, and rain was a beautiful thing indeed. It provided much needed water to crops, made for fun puddles to splash around in, and it made for the perfect excuse to snuggle up in a blanket with a warm beverage. Sitting at his desk, he had Bendy in his lap, a cup of hot cocoa by his side, thankfully nowhere near his drawings.

    “So, whaddaya think bud?” Henry asked. He lifted his mug and took another sip, a small dollop of whipped cream left behind on his nose.

    Bendy giggled, wiping it off with a gloved hand. “I think it’s comin’ out swell Henry. This next animation is gonna be the best yet!” The little toon sounded so excited.

    Even with all the chaos from Joey’s magical mishaps, work was still getting done for the most part. Henry had been hard at work on an animation featuring some of the side characters. He was excited to get to work on a character that took forever to get greenlit: Kai. She was a fun character to design, and Henry loved her just as much as any other toon he’d worked on. Though in prepping for this episode, his studies and gestural practice hadn’t been quite up to his standards. While the cartoons were by no means realistic, he just couldn’t get her body motion to feel right.

    Eventually, it was time for a lunch break, but just as Henry was about to get up from his desk, there was a violent crash, most likely glass.

    “Henry! I could use your help right about now!”

    Henry sighed. Of course, why was he not surprised? He took Bendy off his lap and sprinted for the door, heading to Joey’s office. He flung the office door open, eyes widened just slightly. Joey had really gone and done it this time. What was once a vial with a purple liquid in it had become a shattered wreckage on one of Joey’s plants, breaking right on the edge of the ceramic pot, and of course, it just had to be his Venus fly trap. Trapped within its maw, Joey looked panicked, his eyes frantically darting around, desperate for a way out. The fly trap had a pretty strong grip on him, but of course, it wasn’t a match for the power of friendship! That is, if the power of friendship is having a demon for a best friend that knows how to deal with all of your mistakes. Yep, totally the power of friendship.

    Henry cautiously approached the base of the plant, shushing Joey as he went to keep him hushed. He reached towards his back pocket and quickly whipped out a swiss army knife, cutting through the base of the plant with swiftness and strength. The plant was quick to fall over and release its snack, with Joey rolling on the floor away from it. He was still jittery, standing up next to Henry while grasping his shoulders for dear life.

    “Thank you! No more of that plant for me,” he said, exasperated, “Not risking that happening again.”

    “More like no magic for you for a while,” Henry narrowed his eyebrows, “Joey, what were you doing with a size changing elixir? Why would you even need that?”

    Joey bashfully dug his toe in the ground, turning on a pair of kitten-like eyes. “Sorry Henry, I just wanted to see if I could do it. Figured it could save us some money for the next company picnic.”

    Henry shook his head and smiled. “I swear Drew, what am I gonna do with you?”

    Joey chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t think I want the answer to that,” he said as he looked out the window, “Gosh, what a gloomy day it is. You think anyone will go out for lunch?”

    “With this kind of weather, probably not. The interns might though,” Henry said.

    “Speaking of the interns, how have they been doin’? I heard you got them working on a short. Have they been struggling at all?” Joey asked.

    “They’ve been doing well,” he replied. He started down the hall with Joey, catching up with Bendy as they made their way to one of the break rooms, “I’m impressed actually, they’ve turned out to be a tremendous help. I’m glad we brought them on for the summer, we should consider hiring some of them full time later down the road.”

    “I’ll talk to Grant to see if it’s in the budget, an extra set of hands might not be so bad to have, especially with that upcoming special in the works.”

    Henry’s eyes lit up a little bit. “I can’t wait to get to work on that, we’re gonna blow the town away. Just hope I can get the current animation done first.” 

    Joey cocked his head to the side. “Still giving you trouble?”

    Bendy piped up from in between the two of them. “Not as much as you’d think. He’s just been having fish physics issues.”

    “Ah, so it's Kai again, isn't it?” Joey asked, a knowing smirk on his face.

    “It’s not easy to animate a tail like that Joey. Maybe if I had some fish or something to reference it’d be easier, but it’s not like we’re gonna get a fish tank for something like that.”

    “Couldn’t you just magic something like that up?”

           Henry shot him an unamused face.  “Joey, we’ve been over this. I’m not just gonna conjure stuff up like that, it’s irresponsible.”

             Joey was about to respond, but when they entered the break room, he noticed there was only one other person there. Bendy hopped on over to them, smiling wide.

             “Heya Gen! How goes it?”

             The young lady chuckled, setting down her peanut butter sandwich, “I’m alrigh’ ‘endy, ‘ow are you fellas doin’?” Her Brooklyn accent was almost thicker than Wally’s, but nobody minded too much. At least she was easy to understand.

             Genesis was one of the recent interns, and arguably, the best inker of the group. Normally they’d all sit together and laugh over lunch, but today she sat alone, which was most unusual. Her shirt sleeves were stained with ink from a long morning’s work, and Henry had to wonder why she never rolled them up.

             “We’re doing alright,” Joey replied, “Where’s the rest of the crew?”

             “Oh, they went out fo’ a bite at the noodle ‘ouse down the road. Want’ed somefin’ warm fo’ lunch.”

             “Why aren’t you out with them?” Henry asked. He raised an eyebrow curiously.

             “Eh, just wasn’t in the mood for soup,” she replied. Gen took another bite of her sandwich. Looking at her eyes, Henry could see dark circles. Bendy went and sat down with her, trying to engage in some friendly conversation, while Henry and Joey went over to the kitchenette to heat up a few cans of bacon soup.

             “Hey, Joey?” Henry whispered, “Does something seem off about Gen do you?”

             Joey shrugged, “Eh, not much. Some people just like to break routine,”

             He crossed his arms, shoulders tensed up by his ears. “Yeah, but this isn’t right. Normally she’s loud and all over the place, I’ve never seen her so quiet before.”

             “Maybe it’s the weather?” Joey suggested.

             “Maybe, it has been raining for a week and a half now,” he stroked his chin, “Still, something has to be up.”

             By this point, the studio was aware of Henry’s demonic nature. How could they be in the dark about it with three living cartoons running around? Hell, some of them were fairly excited by the prospect. Even so, he tried not to let himself prod around too much, keeping his aura in check. But it couldn't help itself, his aura was getting some questionable vibes from some of his co-workers. There was something off about Gen that made him want to investigate further, but he didn't want to be rude about it. After all, with all the magical folks he'd run into over the years, he had to be careful. Some had hostile consequences to being found out.   
  
    Still, he couldn't ignore the signs he'd been seeing. Ever since the interns had first been hired, he'd noticed some weird happenings within the studio. Like a few weeks ago, Sammy had been walking outside the women's bathroom, after going to ask Shawn about Irish dialects, when he heard a beautiful singing happening. Now, everyone knew he was a sucker for a good vocalist, but when it was Gen who came out of the door, he was baffled. Likewise, everyone knew Gen had this awful, screechy voice when she sang, something harsh on the ears. He was thoroughly disappointed, but he couldn't get that gorgeous voice out of his head. Some days, he swore he heard it coming from other parts of the studio, like it was hiding in the rafters. And Wally, he'd been finding some weird things while sweeping the floor. Bits of thin, crunchy exoskeleton are what they looked like, kind of like the tail of a shrimp, but their coloration was far different. There was also some grains of sand, which had everyone lost, as there wasn't a beach for miles from the studio. And how could he forget what Thomas had reported? The sink in the break room had been so clogged that he couldn't do anything about it, but low and behold, no sooner had that information gotten out to the public, then the sink was fixed. Though the water pressure was much more intense for a few days afterwards. Some of these things could be chocked up to coincidence, but Henry knew better. One of his interns was hiding something, and Gen was the prime suspect. 

 

 

* * *

 

             Later in the evening, an hour before closing, the rainstorm had started pounding harder and harder against the roof of the studio, as a bolt of lightning crashed off in the distance. Joey had let the staff leave early if they wished, not wanting to risk their safety in such harsh weather. Henry circled back to the shared office of the interns. Only Gen was left, and from the state of her work station, she didn’t plan on leaving any time soon. Henry frowned in concern.

             “Hey, how you doing?” Henry asked as he approached her.

             Gen jumped a little in her seat, startled by his quiet entrance. “Oh! ‘ey boss! Doin’ good, just gotta finish a few mor’ frames, then we’ll be done.”

             “Gen, it’s getting late, maybe you oughtta go home,” Henry suggested. His dad voice was showing itself again.

             The girl’s eyes widened at the mention of leaving. “I um…I-I don’t ‘know if that’s such a good idea Henry…it’s rainin’ awful hard out there. That storm ain’t passin’ until t’morrow, is it?”

             “’Fraid so kiddo,” he replied. The golden hearted demon pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. “Genesis, I’ve noticed you haven’t been yourself this past week. I don’t want to pry, but I’m worried about you. Would you be willing to talk about it?”

             The young woman looked up at him, her eyes showed terror. He didn’t know what to make of it. This was Gen, headstrong Gen, an intern that carried herself like she was already a boss, staring at him, terrified, but of what? Maybe it was a phobia of thunderstorms. Yeah, that sounded logical enough, but still not the right fit. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion.  _She's got to be hiding something,_ he thought. What was there to hide though? He was a demon for goodness’ sake, there was nothing that could be more of a reveal than that.

             Gen took her eyes off Henry and looked around the room. She sighed heavily and looked up at him again, some of that fire back in her eyes. 

             “Alrigh’ ‘enry, I’ll fess up. Things ‘aven’t been so good behin’ the scenes…but I can’t risk someone overhearin’ this,” she said, “Let’s make a deal. You lock up the studio tonigh’, and I’ll spill e’rythin’ to you when e’ryone’s gone. Jus….please, promise you ‘on’t tell anyone, okay?”

             Henry nodded, taking her hand firmly and shaking it. “Deal. You take care of yourself, okay? I’ll see you in an hour.”

 

* * *

 

 

             Henry stood at the entrance of the studio, ready to see Joey and the toons off.

             “You’re sure you’re okay with putting them to bed tonight? I don’t know how long this is gonna take, but something tells me it’s gonna be a while.” 

             “Of course, it’s no trouble at all,” Joey replied. He placed a hand on Henry’s shoulder. “You sure you don’t want help with this? She’s my employee too ya know.”

             “I know, I know, but she asked to be alone, and we shook on it. I can’t just go breaking deals now, can I?” Henry smirked a little, ruffling his friend’s hair, “I’ll be fine. You four go and get some good rest, alright? I’ll see you as soon as I can.”

             After getting hugged tightly by his inky children, Henry helped get them loaded into Joey’s car, sending them back to the apartment. With the studio empty, he walked back over to the interns' office, only to find that Gen was missing. Her stuff was all there, packed up in her leather satchel, but she was absent. Henry looked around for a clue as to where she had gone. He found a yellow sticky note on the desk.

             ‘Go to the break room on the east side, the one with the big silver sink. ~Love Gen”

             He shrugged and made his way there. As he continued to approach the room though, his ears picked up something unusual. Someone was…singing? That had to be it. Was this Sammy's elusive voice? He continued further, finding that the voice led him right to the break room, where a worn-out animation intern was leaning over a filled sink, silently humming under her breath. She didn’t move as Henry approached her. Looked like he found his answer. But how could this be? Gen hadn’t ever sounded so melodic before. It was almost hypnotic.

             “Hey kiddo, why’d you drag me all the way over here?” he asked. The young man pulled two chairs closer to where she was, but Gen didn’t move to sit down. She merely sighed, gazing at her reflection.

             “Henry, how do you look at yourself in the mirror, knowing that you’re the one demon in the world who isn’t anything like the others?” she asked.

    Henry stepped back for a moment. Her voice, it didn’t sound right at all. Her accent was completely gone, not even a trace of a New Yorker in her. It was smooth, deep, almost alluring. He walked a little closer to her, leaning in to look at the water’s surface. He could see her cheeks had remnants of tears staining them.

             “Well, I suppose it’s because I don’t really care what other demons think. That’s their business,” he replied. He knew how much of a cat and mouse game this could be, he proceeded cautiously.

             “It doesn’t bother you that you can’t go back, that they’ll never be accepting of you?” she asked, almost surprised.

             “Gen, demons aren’t anything you want to deal with. They’re cold-hearted, nasty creatures, so evil that human words can’t describe them. So what if I don’t belong among that crowd? I’d never want to, that’s just not me.”

             The girl sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes shut tightly. “I should’ve figured. I guess I’m just a weird case then,” she said. She turned to look at Henry, her marine blue eyes started to fill with tears. “Henry, why am I so worried about the past? It’s gone, it’s over now, none of it can touch me anymore. And yet…every time I think I’ve escaped, the memories just come flooding back.”

             Henry raised an eyebrow. “Gen, I’m not sure what you’re getting at here. What’s brought on all of this?”

             Gen rubbed at her eyes, wiping away the tears. “I just…Henry, the rainstorm has been awful this week, so awful that I haven’t been able to leave. I can’t keep lying about this, I managed to pick the lock so I could stay here for the past week after hours. I haven’t left since.” She couldn’t stop herself from crying, the tears rippling the surface of the water.

             Henry was baffled. “Why would you do that? Have you been evicted? You should’ve told us, we would’ve done something to hel-”

             “This isn’t something I could tell you before Henry, it’s not something that anybody could help. Hell, it goes against everything in the laws to tell you now, but I just can’t keep hiding it anymore, not when you revealed yourself to me!” She sniffled, rolling up her sleeves.

             Henry’s eyes widened a little. Where the ink had been on her sleeves lined up rather well with a series of curved ridges on her skin. He brushed his hand against his own neck. Even though the scales weren’t on him in a human form, he could still imagine their texture, something very similar to what he saw on her arms.

    Gen went and brushed her short hair behind her ears, then gently dipped her fingers in the water. She ran them over the tips of her ears. Almost instantly upon making contact, tiny, translucent fins raised from them, with her fingers showing some webbing between them. Henry blinked, making sure he hadn’t just imagined it. Henry was a bit taken aback. He had suspected as much, but to see was to believe in this case.

    “I had a feeling I wasn't the only one with magick around here, but I wasn't quite expecting this” he said as he examined her ears. He smiled in childish curiosity, a little too excited to learn this. “Incredible, it's been forever since I've seen something like this. So you’re-”

    “A mermaid? Yep, born and raised. Now you see why I can’t go out there? If I get too wet, my cover is blown. And even worse, if my tail forms, I’ll be stuck in the streets until it dries out.” She turns back to her reflection, looking down sadly. “I hate it, I hate it so much. I wish I could just give my tail away and never look back. Every time I think I can keep faking it here on the surface, another splash of water comes along and almost rats me out. I can’t keep doing this, but I can’t go back either.”

    Henry placed a hand on her shoulder, “Why? What's stopping you?” He cocked his head to the side, an eyebrow raised.

    “Really?" She raised an eyebrow at him, clearly unamused. "You're originally from hell, right? Why would you ever go back? There’s something waiting for me that I ain’t giving the pleasure to,” she brushed fiercely at her eyes, “Merfolk aren’t nice Henry, maybe not demon levels of bad, but still. They’ve got their own share of problems, and the minute one of us magic types starts asking questions, we’re immediately outcast. Because heaven forbid you be curious about humans!” She slammed her fists in the surface of the water, getting her shirt soaked. Thankfully, her pants remained dry.

    “I wanted to understand where half my heritage came from, but no, that isn't acceptable. I just couldn’t live with them anymore, I can’t bear the idea of being forced to drown someone I don’t know if I get discovered. That’s the rule, if I’m seen by a human, I have to make sure they can never spill the secret, and that means death! I-I could never-"  
  
"Gen, calm down." He said firmly. Henry held her shoulders and looked over her, his fatherly presence easing her tensions. He looked her straight in the eyes, his gaze softening. He could feel her panic melting on his hands, but he knew he had to keep going.   
  
"Gen, it's okay. I can understand where you're coming from, but living in fear is no way to go through life. There's got to be a solution to this." Henry was determined. While admittedly, he could just teleport them both home for a time, he knew he needed a long term solution, one that would make it possible for her to come back to the studio. He'd watched her work on her best and worst days, there was no doubt in his mind that she loved it here, and the life she built for herself deserved to be treated with respect. It's what he would've wanted for himself in that position.  
  
"I've tried everything Henry, but I can't do the magic necessary to protect myself. All I have are siren songs, and those are garbage for enchantments." She rubbed her arm over her eyes again. "If I just had a way to get rid of my powers altogether, it'd be the end of this."  
  
Henry raised an eyebrow. "You'd be willing to give it up, just like that?"   
  
"Don't have a choice. I can't keep pretending to be human, not when I'm so vulnerable to being exposed. I love my tail, I love the tricks I can do with liquid, but there's no way to keep them..." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a shell tied on a string. "If I wanted to, I could seal it all away forever...Maybe...maybe it's time..."  
  
Henry reached to her and pulled her close to his chest, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Gen, I'm not gonna let you make yourself miserable. Even with as bad as other demons are, I don't regret being one. It's an integral part of who I am, just I'm sure this is to you. This is a workable problem, you won't have to give up your magic, okay?"   
  
She let herself cry in his chest, speaking in between sobs. "But how? What am I supposed to do, make a deal with you?"  
  
Henry chuckled, rubbing her back gently. "Well that's kind of what I was hoping for. Seriously, I think I can manage something like that."   
  
Gen's eyes widened as she stared at the demon before her. "Y-you'd really be willing to do that for me?"  
  
"Why wouldn't I? Gen, have you seen some of the deals I've made in this studio? Believe me, it's no trouble." He smiled, that sweet loving smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts. "Honest to goodness, let's make a deal. I could weave you some enchantments to keep you from changing while clothed for sure, though keeping your secret might be a bit harder."  
  
"How so?" she asked, "I'm not familiar with what would go into that kind of magick."   
  
"Well, there are a variety of ways I could tackle it, but it'd have to get very specific," he replied, "Say I took the approach of making it so anyone who saw you as a mermaid wouldn't be able to talk about it, unless it were to someone else who were in on the secret. Sounds simple enough, but what about those who struggle to cope with magic?"  
  
"That's true, I can understand why that would be troublesome," she stroked her chin in thought. "How scary it can be for humans to discover us. I'm sure it wasn't easy for everyone to be so accepting of you at first either. But even so, I wouldn't want to hurt them, regardless of how they feel about my secrets, that would be cruel."   
  
"Exactly. I could try and add a writing component, make it so if they wrote about it, they would be the only ones to see it. Like I said, it'll take some time to weave this, I have to cover as many loopholes as possible so I don't damage anyone."   
  
Gen nodded. "That's fair. Do whatever you have to do, there's not a lot I wouldn't be willing to give you in return for this." She smiled softly, her eyes meek and gentle. "That being said though, what is it you'd like a payment?"  
  
Henry stroked his chin in thought. "Well, it is gonna take some time and energy to get it all smoothed out, and much as I'd like to have that to get it done tonight, I think I have something better in mind. How open would you be to doing some modelling for me?"   
  
Gen looked at him in utter confusion. He held up a finger as if to pause the conversation, then quickly teleported to his work desk, returning with Kai's reference sheet.  
  
"I've been working hard to get her right for the next cartoon, but I just can't get her movements down. Having a real mermaid around as reference would be so helpful for making this believable. Would you be okay with that?" He asked gently.   
  
Gen's face was locked in the brightest smile he'd ever seen. "I would be honored! You have no idea how great that would be, seriously, to have some good representation would be wonderful, even if no one believes it's real." She thought for a moment, then looked him dead in the eyes. "But where would we go exactly? It's not like there's a body of water anywhere that you could see me through, and I assume it's the underwater factor that's tripping you up."   
  
"Don't worry about that, I have an idea in mind," Henry said coyly.  
  
Gen grinned. "Thank you Henry, you truly are a wonder. You sure that's all you want though? I don't want to be unfair about this, it's a huge favor to ask of anyone."   
  
Henry shrugged, "Can't really think of anything to be honest. Even though I've run into a few before, I don't know much about merfolk to know what to ask for."   
  
"What about knowledge?" she asked. She went and sat in one of the chairs he set out, dragging him to the other one. "That's something invaluable, powerful even. I may not have the same types of magicks as you, but there's a lot you could still do with it, maybe even some things that would be adaptable to your own."   
  
Henry pondered this for a moment. He had gotten a lot of interesting pieces like that throughout his travels, techniques that he'd worked hard to master. He didn't know much of what Genesis might have in store for him, but the possibilities, oh how tempting they were. He grinned, a hint of mischief and childlike wonder in his oceanic eyes.   
  
"Alright, I can get behind that." He stood up and stretched his arms out. "We'd better get to work, it's gonna be a long night."   
  
Gen could hardly contain herself, hopping up next to him, surprisingly shorter than he was. She gave him a firm salute. "Aye aye captain! Just show me what to do and we'll get to it!"  
  
Henry nodded. "Let me go tell Joey I'm not gonna be home tonight, then we can get started." Both parties grinned and gave a firm handshake. This was going to be an adventure of a night.

* * *

 

  
  
And that was the start of many grueling hours to make sure everything went well. Henry had a few struggles while trying to work out the kinks, but he enjoyed the challenge. Being unfamiliar with how Gen's body worked, he had to have her steadily explain things to him for the whole night. To make this easier, he'd decided to show her his solution to the reference problem early. Taking some inspiration from Joey's earlier mishap, he enlarged one of the spare coffee pots after filling it with water within a room that wasn't used too often, giving her plenty of space to swim around.  
  
The first time he saw her for what she truly was, Henry was starry eyed. He had to wonder, was this how Joey felt when seeing his halfway form for the first time? Genesis was something to behold. Just seconds after she'd been fully submerged in his coffee tank, a stream of bubbles had covered her, quickly flitting away to reveal a lady of the lake. He quickly picked up on the fact that she was a sunfish, the kind local to the lakes of New York. In the dim lights of the studio, her golden scales glittered, shifting between yellow and green as she went, with some orange striated in their pattern. Her caudal fin at the bottom was ridged, a very textural experience, albeit a bit slippery. Down her back and leading onto her tail was a dorsal fin of the same texture. Her scales went from the bottom of the tail to about her midriff, while the ones on her arms were merely fleshy indentations. And lastly, there were two sets of of ridges, on her hips and neck, tiny openings that were her gills. Her short, bobbed brown hair floated gracefully with the rest of her figure, curling itself ever so gently around her marina eyes.   
  
"Incredible, is it always that quick?" Henry asked.  
  
She made her way up to the rim of the pot, hanging over the edge. She smiled sweetly. "Only if I'm fully submerged, it takes a lot longer if just patches of me are wet," she replied, "I'd imagine it's not so different from whatever process you use. I mean come on, I'm pretty sure that's not really what you look like at the core." She smirked, a challenging sort of gesture.   
  
Henry was pretty loose at the moment, just barely tired enough for him to be a little sillier than usual. "I don't know if you could handle seeing it," he teased, "I'm told I'm too handsome for mortal eyes."   
  
"Well lucky for you, I'm not quite mortal," Genesis replied.   
  
They bantered like that for a while as Henry got up the step ladder to study his contractor a little closer. They swapped questions back and forth all night while they worked, Henry on the spells, and Genesis on the knowledge transfer. The conch shell she held earlier went from being a symbol of loss to a vessel of information, as she quietly whispered into it, while Henry focused with his aura to work things out. Eventually, she finished with her shell and carefully handed it to Henry once he snapped back to reality for a break.   
  
"Here, I hope this will suffice. Welcome to an ocean of information, simply ask the shell what you wish to know, and it'll explain it back to you."   
  
Henry raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Really, it's that simple?"   
  
Gen chuckled. "I live for efficiency Henry, you know that. Gotta tell ya though, it took a while to get that organized. Oh, I almost forgot, there's one little thing that you're gonna need for it." She motioned for him to come closer. The moment he did, she cupped his cheeks in her hands, pressing her forehead against his. He looked confused.   
  
"I promise, I'm not trying to court you. This is gonna be awkward for a minute."   
  
She closed her eyes and started whispering, something in a tongue that Henry didn't recognize. A sensation of sudden coolness enveloped his forehead, turning to a relaxing warmth. He could see a wispy trail escape the mermaid's jaw, trying to enter through his mouth. It felt icy going down his throat, like a Popsicle in the heat of summer. It happened so fast, he didn't have time to question it, but something within him felt fuller after she broke away.   
  
"There, that should do it. It would take far longer than we have to translate all that information to English, it was just easier to let you in on my language."   
  
Henry stood there, awestruck. "You're kidding me, right? Just like that, you're telling me I can understand a completely different language?"   
  
"Don't sound so surprised. You have your talents, and I have mine," she said. The mermaid winked before going to float on her back. "Though it may take some time to get it all sorted out. Having knowledge and knowing what to do with it are different things," she chuckled, a tinkly sort of sound, like wind chimes. "While my tail is out, I'm at my most powerful form, and that comes with a lot of practice at lending and transfer magick."   
  
The demon sat himself down in a chair, trying to process this. "What exactly do you mean by 'lending' magick?"  
  
Gen chuckled, flicking herself around a little bit. "You ever heard that old fairytale, The Little Mermaid?"   
  
"Well yeah, it's a classic," he replied.  
  
"It's not far from some of the truths. The sea witch has a lot in common with most of us. Similar to how you have your deals, I have my lending. I can essentially rent out pieces of my magick to people for a limited time before it's returned back to me, kind of like a library book. Transfer magick is very similar, though that's more of a permanent swap or trade."   
  
"Interesting indeed," Henry said. He rubbed his chin in thought. "What kinds of things do you lend out though?"  
  
"Oh nothing too crazy, a few songs now and again. Though if I really wanted to, I could lend something far more substantial, like say, my voice, or even my fins. That's what got a lot of us into trouble in all those old myths though," she replied. Her head hung sadly for a moment.  
  
"That's....that's incredible. I can see where things might go wrong, but at least you know who you can trust with those kinds of things now, right?"   
  
Gen nodded. "Aye, that's true. Though I won't lie...even with all that we're doing tonight, I'm afraid for tomorrow. Just...what if I scare them?"   
  
Henry pondered this for a moment. "I don't think you have much to worry about on that front. I keep forgetting, you and the interns haven't seen all the same things as the rest of the staff. I've never shown you my halfway form, have I?"   
  
Gen shook her head. "Nope, I don't think so. But there's never really been a reason to. Besides, I doubt it's all that scary."   
  
He deflated a little, rubbing his arm. "Maybe not to the likes of someone who's been around magick their whole life, but to people that once didn't know it existed, that's a different case. They were...they were very afraid of me once, it took a while for things to change," He looked down and smiled to himself, holding a hand over his heart, "But not everyone was afraid. First time Joey ever saw me, he was enamored. I'm...I'm lucky to have him."   
  
Gen giggled, sighing happily at the thought. "How did we ever get so lucky to meet a fella like you boss? Honest to goodness, I'm glad I'm an intern here, I'm glad we crossed paths."   
  
Henry stood up and climbed the stepladder again, wrapping his intern in a tight hug. He didn't mind getting wet, especially when he could feel such immense joy radiating off her as she laid her head on his shoulder. This was it, this is what he lived for, why it was so important that he be here for these people. Ever since the day he met Joey, from the time he revealed himself and brought Bendy to life, to all their shenanigans in between, he was grateful for the life he'd lived so far. All the interesting people he'd met, the friends he'd made, the places he'd traveled, the wonderful parents who still checked in on him still, it was better than anything he'd ever dreamed of. And now, he was able to pass that kind of a gift onto someone else, a gift of a brighter future, living among humans. It was well worth it.   
  
"What did I ever do to deserve runnin' into a demon like you?" Gen whispered. Henry could just barely tell the difference between the happy tears and the water that dripped onto him. He smiled back at his fellow magick user.   
  
"You applied for the right job I guess. Just remember, you don't have to tell anyone immediately, okay? You can wait a while, there's no pressure."  
  
"I know," she replied, "But I think I might be ready...you guys are some of my only friends, I'd rather they know the truth."   
  
"Alright, then I'd better keep working, but it might be easier if I use my halfway form for this. Are you alright with that?" he asked  
  
Gen nodded, "Not a problem at all, just um...think you could help me out of here first?" She grinned sheepishly, looking bashful and she held herself on the coffee pot rim.  
  
"Oh, right, yes, of course!" Henry said, slightly embarrassed. 

 

* * *

 

  
  
Gen was all wrapped up in a towel, drying herself out while watching Henry intently. It was the usual routine, but seeing it for the first time was an experience. He carefully wound the purple cloth around his head, covering his eyes, leaving no room for any accidental cracks. Letting himself loosen up, his canines jutted out, sharper and vampiric compared to what his co-workers were used to. The gentle curve of his horns revealed themselves on his forehead, arcing around to the back of his head like a ram's. The cracks beneath his eyes formed, dark as midnight, as they trickled down his cheeks like the falling rain. The ridges along his neck and shoulders captivated his limited audience, their blue scaliness making for quite the conversation piece. And all the while, there was a soft glow, the cobalt majesty of his veins from underneath his translucent skin. Gen was awestruck. To think that this man was her boss, that all of this was hiding underneath the surface, was a rather remarkable thought. He knelt down next to her once he was finished, taking in her brilliant smile. It was nice that she wasn't afraid. Sheepishly, she gave his neck a childish look, her eyes pleading. He couldn't help but chuckle.   
  
"Alright, fine, you can touch them, just be gentle."   
  
She nodded, gently running the tips of her webbed fingers over his ridged scales, taking in the texture. "You sure you don't have some mer in your lineage? These are some of the finest scales I've ever seen, absolutely stunning.  
  
His cheeks got the tiniest bit bluer in the closest they could get to a blush. "I'm pretty sure, though it's not like I have anyone I could ask."   
  
"Eh, either way, they're lovely. You were right, you are too handsome for mortal eyes, they wouldn't know what to do with you," she said with a wink.

* * *

 

  
The next morning was just like any other. Joey came early with the three cartoons to unlock the building, gripping an umbrella tightly to keep them dry. As he entered the studio, instead of the usual quiet, he could hear a gentle snoring. He shook his head, a knowing smile on his face. Of course, it was just like Henry to overwork himself again. He headed over to his own office and got things situated before going to look for his demonic friend. Eventually he found him, along with his intern, fast asleep in all too familiar of a place, the basement. Henry had slumped over on the old workbench and table, while Gen had managed to fall asleep upside down on the couch. Joey carefully approached them, looking around at the mess of the room, eyes skeptically scanning the giant coffee pot in the corner. Yep, he wasn't going to question this, not today. Though he knew he'd have a very angry Sammy Lawrence to deal with if the remaining two pots broke. He went over to the closet and carefully pulled out two blankets and pillows, something he'd brought to the studio just for this purpose, and let his two very human animators get comfortable before leaving them in peace. 

* * *

 

 

A few hours later, while the rest of the studio bustled above, Bendy had snuck down to the basement to keep an eye on his creator. Henry finally stirred just as the inky little demon hopped down the last stair. Groaning, Henry got himself up, rubbing his head. Were he not capable of fixing it himself, he'd probably need a chiropractor for as many times as this happened. His eyes opened, he grinned at his inky son and opened up his arms for a wide hug. Bendy jumped into them and quietly giggled, happy to see Henry again.  
  
"How'd it go? Did you help her?" he asked excitedly.  
  
Henry grinned, rubbing the tinier demon between the horns. "You bet bud. Gen's gonna be just fine. Once she's up, we'll see is she's up for going outside for a bit."  
  
"But Henry, it's still raining, no one wants to go out and get wet," Bendy replied. He looked a little confused.  
  
"Just trust me on this bud, it'll make a lot more sense later. For now, I'd better go check on the other interns, gotta make sure we're on schedule." The demon duo headed back upstairs, but not before Henry gently moved Genesis to a proper position on the couch.   
  
"What were you up to last night anyway?" Bendy asked.   
  
"Oh nothing much, just a deal."

 

* * *

 

  
  
Around lunch break, the staff had filled most of the break rooms. The rain had been worse than yesterday, and no one wanted to go out and get soaked. Henry went down to check on Gen, who had finally woken up. She yawned and stretched herself out, cracking her neck and knuckles to get rid of all the kinks.   
  
"Oof, mornin' 'enry, 'ow ya doin'?" she asked. Looked like her accent was back.  
  
"More like good afternoon bud," he said, chuckling, "I'm alright, a little tired after last night, but we've managed to get some good work done today. How you feeling?"   
  
Gen grinned, carefully making her way off the couch. "Right as rain boss. Haven't felt so good in years."   
  
"Well I'm glad to hear that," he replied, "Though speaking of rain, you ready to go give it a test run? It's still pretty wet out there."   
  
She jumped up excitedly, almost as animated as the cartoons. "You bet! 'ome on, let's go!"   
  
Henry had to chase her up the stairs, which quickly became a contest of having to teleport to the door to beat her there. But the minute she looked at the exit, she paused. He could sense the fear coming off of her. Though he knew it wasn't a fear of things not working, no, her trust in him was too strong for that. Perhaps then, it was a fear of the unknown, a fear of change. Henry grasped her shoulder firmly.   
  
"Hey, it's alright kiddo. Go ahead, you've got this."   
  
Genesis gulped and nodded, opening the door and taking her first step out. She let herself go just a little farther than the awning, letting the raindrops hit her skin. There was nothing. No sensation, no scales peeking out, nothing but wet flesh and soaked cotton fibers. Gen beamed as she spun around in the rainstorm. It felt so good to have the water touch her bare skin, she felt at peace, elated beyond what her greatest dreams could've been. She was free, free to exist however she wanted, with no fear to hold her back. She ran back to Henry and hugged him tightly, crying happily in his chest.   
  
"Thank you, thank you so so much! You've saved me!"   
  
He rubbed her back gently and moved them both back inside, feeling quite proud of himself. He'd done a good thing last night, something that would come to change the course of his friend's life for the better. The two joined the rest of the staff for lunch, laughing at how wet they both were. Henry watched from his table with Joey as Gen was back to her old self with the other interns, cracking jokes and sharing her energy with everyone who crossed her path. Joey gave him a slap on the back.  
  
"I dunno what you did Ross, but whatever it was, it worked. Nice job."   
  
Henry punched his old friend in the shoulder. "All part of the job Drew. And with that taken care of, I can finally get back to work on that animation."   
  
Joey snickered, "You sure you're up for it after that all-nighter?"   
  
"Trust me Joey, I'm ready for it. Besides, Gen gave me some great pointers on the whole thing, we're gonna have some really fluid movement on this one."   
  
"Wow, the intern taught you something?" Joey questioned.  
  
Henry held his arms behind his head, kicking his feet up on the table. "Sometimes a teacher learns more from his students. Actually, how about you stop by the basement later today with the rest of us? Gen and I decided it would be a good idea to meet with the rest of the crew that's working on this one for some figure drawing practice."   
  
Joey cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Sure, I could use some brushing up."   
  
Henry grinned, that hint of mischief back in his eyes. "Excellent, we'll look forward to seeing you at two. Though if it's not too much trouble, you think you could bring some towels with you please?"  
  
Joey raised an eyebrow. "Towels? What for?"  
  
"You'll see."   
  
Joey was slightly afraid, but hey, this couldn't be any worse than any of the times he messed up a spell, right? 

* * *

 

  
Two o'clock took forever to come. Joey had been fidgeting at his desk all day, curious as to what his demonic friend was up to. Finally, the clock struck, and he was all too eager to bolt from his desk to the basement, where he could hear ooh's and aah's coming from behind the door-frame. Upon opening the door, Joey stopped dead in his tracks, nearly dropping his pile of towels. The coffee pot made a lot more sense now, though he never expected to see a golden-tailed mermaid hanging off of its rim. The other interns and animators were seated around, doing some practice sketches, while Gen and Henry chatted and laughed together at the top of the coffee pot. Joey headed down the stairs, parking himself next to an equally confused Sammy.   
  
"You got any idea what's going on?" he asked.   
  
The music director was dumbfounded. "Not a clue. Never in a million years did I expect this."  
  
Joey chuckled. "Well at least we know where your mystery voice was comin' from," he grinned, "This is pretty neat. Henry was right, this is gonna be a fluid animation."   
  
Sammy nodded, struggling to keep his chill. "You think um...you think I could get her to stop by my department later?"   
  
"I don't see why not," Joey replied. He walked over to Henry and Gen, a hand on his hip.   
  
"Wow, just wow. And here I thought this crazy fella was the only case I'd ever see. Gen, how long you been keepin' this from us?"  
  
Genesis laughed. "Whole time I've been here and longer. Sorry Mr. Drew, there are some rules I'm not allowed to break. But if it wasn't for Henry, I wouldn't be able to overcome them either."   
  
Joey looked surprised. "Whoa, what happened to your accent?"   
  
"Can't maintain it when I'm like this, part of the change warps my vocal chords too much," she replied. Gen grinned and motioned for Joey to come closer. "I'm just glad I don't have to hide this anymore. I'll be a lot more useful with my powers out."   
  
"Oh really, what makes you say that?" Joey said as he walked up the step stool.   
  
"Because I can do stuff like this. Now Henry!"   
  
"Wait what?"  
  
Henry, who had been waiting behind Joey, quickly assisted Gen in lifting him up and flipping him over into the 'tank,' all in one swift motion that broke her out of it. Gen had gotten into Henry's arms, already wrapped in a towel, leaving Joey very confused when the bubbles dissipated. Clearly this was not how he expected today to go.   
  
Before the laughing crowd of animators, was Joey Drew, now lacking his clothing, with it having been replaced by quite the spectacular merman tail. It was quite the sight actually. But instead of just having a sunfish tail, it had morphed to better fit him, resembling that of a sea dragon, the leafy cousin of the seahorse. There was a lot of green mixed with magenta and cobalt veins within it, bright and colorful, and the texture was very reminiscent of his precious plants. He immediately hugged his chest in hopes of covering it, slightly uncomfortable with being shirtless around so many people, people he did business with no less. He shot a glare at Henry, but it softened into a look genuine confusion.  
  
"Wh-what? Henry, what's the meaning of all this?" He stuttered.   
  
"Hey, after how badly you messed up yesterday, I figured maybe driving the lesson home a bit more would be good for you," he said nonchalantly, "Besides, the minute Gen told me about this "lending magick" of hers, it was just too good of a prank to pass up."   
  
Gen winked from her spot in Henry's arms, wrapped in a towel and back on two feet. "So worth it. Don't worry, it'll wear off in an hour or two, I wouldn't let him be that cruel," she turned to her fellow interns, the mischief still gleaming in her and Henry's eyes. "Alright, pencils up gang! As soon as I'm dressed, I'm joining you!" 

* * *

 

  
  
This was only the beginning for a new series of magical mishaps within the studio. Gen went on to be both very useful and quite the troublemaker with what she brought to the table, but it made for a lot of great stories to tell. There were funny ones, like the time she lent her voice to Sammy and he accidentally hypnotized Wally, and a similar incident with Susie later that same week. There were the days she spent talking about home and her foster family with Wally, explaining where her accent came from. There was a weekend she spent with Shawn swapping craftsmanship methods. There was the time she lent Henry her tail just to see if it was possible, oh boy was that a doozy. There were even times where the toons picked up on some of her tricks. And who could forget the best company retreat they ever had, when Grant invited them all to his brother's house off one of the Great Lakes. Yes, things got better from then on. And Gen started letting more of her heritage show too. She started wearing her sea stars and kelp headbands to work, and after so many years of chopping it off to limit her power, she grew her hair out again.   
  
And none of it would've been possible if not for the kindness of one golden-hearted demon. Just goes to show, a little love goes a long way.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to save this for the ending so that you had time to digest it first. I wrote this for many reasons, the main one being that this AU inspires me so much. I've been a writer for many years, but I haven't done a heck of a lot of reading for fun since middle school. Now being in college, I haven't had a lot of time, but fanfictions and short stories have given me the fix I've been looking for in terms of good storytelling and inspiring content. Star is one of many talented writers that I follow and look forward to reading from, and I admire her and all that she does. 
> 
> This particular AU has a soft spot in my heart. Her interpretation of Henry and the idea that he's the only existing demon in this world with any kindness in his his heart is an interesting one, and it gives me a lot of hope. Henry is someone I look up to, and reading about him reminds me of why I have the moral compass that I do, why I feel driven to do my best to aid those under my care. He's the best friend everyone wishes they could have, someone supportive, someone who loves you unconditionally, who loves you not in spite of your flaws, but in some ways, because of them. He's someone I'd like to be like, and sometimes, I see bits of him in my own friends, which is comforting. 
> 
> I always wondered about how he would interact with a fellow magical creature, and given that I am very much so merfolk obsessive outside of my fandom work (with some of that now seeping into said fandom work), I figured it could be a good test to see if I still knew what I was doing. In truth, I'm still just making it up as I go, but hey, there was a lot of revision, I'm almost there with this planning thing, huzzah! Genesis just sort of happened during one of my vocal experiments, as I am not only a writer, but also a voice actor and visual artist. I like to play with all of my medias to create content, and Gen happened when I was trying to pull off a Brooklyn accent. That's all she started as, a funny voice with an accent, and within a week or so, this happened. 
> 
> With Star's permission, I would love to continue writing some misadventures that follow after this plot line. I've fallen in love just a little too quickly. Once again, this is NOT canon to her AU, this is my thing that is entirely separate and only meant as a fun little exploration of character.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading my story, I sincerely appreciate your time. Hope you have a wonderful day!


End file.
